The Mozambican National Elections Commission (CNE) announced, this Thursday, the victory of Daniel Chapo in the election for president of the Republic on October 9, with 70.67% of the votes. The results still need validation by the Constitutional Council.
Daniel Chapo, candidate supported by the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo, in power), won with more than 50% of the votes in all electoral districts in the country, totaling 4,912,762 votes.
Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos, extra-parliamentary), came in second place, with 20.32%, totaling 1,412,517 votes.
Renamo in third place
In third place was Ossufo Momade, president of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), until now the largest opposition party, with 403,591 votes (5.81%), followed by Lutero Simango, president of the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM, third party parliamentary), with 223,066 votes (3.21%).
43.48% of the more than 17.1 million registered voters voted. According to the president of the CNE, Carlos Matsinhe, the electoral count was carried out by consensus in 87% of the 154 districts.
Young protesters burn a Frelimo party flag during protests in Maputo
Sibeko/Reuters
The general elections on October 9 included the seventh presidential elections — in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who reached the two-term limit, no longer ran — simultaneously with legislative elections and for provincial assemblies and governors.
Before announcing the centralized results of the general count, the president of the CNE explained that “throughout voting day and the vote counting process, several contentious processes were initiated in the judicial courts”, as well as “some channeled to the Constitutional Council” .
“These processes are expected to make competent decisions. Meanwhile, the CNE is obliged by law to announce the result of the vote within 15 days after the vote (…), we could not wait for the decisions of these disputes”, he said, admitting that these decisions “may have an impact on the results” announced this Thursday – fair.
Final stage in the Constitutional Council
“The announcement of the results does not close the entire process, until the results have been validated and the winners have been announced”, added Carlos Matsinhe.
After the intermediate count, at the level of the 154 districts and then in the provinces, the CNE had 15 days to announce the official results, with the Constitutional Council now being responsible for proclaiming the results, after also completing the analysis of the resources of the candidates and parties of the opposition, in this case without a defined deadline for this purpose.
Police forcibly dispersed protesters on the streets of Maputo
LUISA NHANTUMBO/EPA
The announcement of the results made today by the CNE comes on the first of two days of general strike and demonstrations across the country called by candidate Venâncio Mondlane against this year’s electoral process.
In the general elections of October 15, 2019, the Frelimo-supported candidate, Filipe Nyusi, was elected for a second term as President of the Republic with 73.46% of the votes, followed by Ossufo Momade, leader of Renamo, with 21.48 %.
In 2019, according to official data, there was a voter turnout of 52% of the more than 13.1 million voters registered to vote.
Frelimo wins all provincial assemblies
In the elections on October 9th, according to CNE data, Frelimo also won the vote for provincial assemblies in all provinces, thus guaranteeing the maintenance of all ten provincial governors.
The 2024 electoral process has been criticized by international observers, who point out several irregularities, as well as violence, with street protests that led to police intervention with the release of tear gas and shots into the air, and the double murder of two supporters of presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, lawyer Elvino Dias and teacher Paulo Guambe, shot dead in an ambush in Maputo on the night of October 18.
